German Origin
Kontra
German: "Kontra" — contra/against; the defenders countering the declaration
Definition
The Schafkopf term for doubling the stakes after a player declares a game, analogous to a Crack in Sheepshead. A subsequent doubling by the declaring side is called "Re" (re-double), matching the Re-crack.
Related Terms
Crack (Doubling)
A variant where defenders can "crack" to double the stakes after someone picks. The picker can then "re-crack" to double again.
Re-crack
When the picker doubles the stakes again after a defender has cracked. Results in 4x the normal stakes.
Schafkopf
The German ancestor of Sheepshead, originating in Bavaria in the 1700s. The name likely refers to playing on a barrel head ("Schaff" = barrel, "Kopf" = head), though it's often translated as "sheep's head."